Foot corrector



r 1947- L. C. ZERKLE 2,417,852 I FOOT CORREC TQR Filed April 26, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l a w ll 2 e 3 A z w INVENQTOR.

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arch 25, 1947. L. c. ZERKLE 2,417,852

FOOT CORRECTOR Filed April 26, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N V EN TOR. gym/WE. fawn E H770 ENE VJ Patented Mar. 251, 147

UNIT STAT This invention relates to a foot corrector. The

invention has for its principal object the provision of a corrector which is light in weight, does not require an oversized shoe, and which is flexible and durable and is prevented from shifting with respect to the foot while in use.

An additional object is to provide a foot cor- V rector which may be readily altered to suit any cast that is made from the mold of Fig. 2; Figs.

4, 5, and 6 are sectional views illustrating additional steps in the method of making the corrector; Fig. 7 is a section taken through a corrector as made in the previously illustrated steps;

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a metho d of deforming the corrector in a localized region to compensate for imperfections in the foot; Fig. 9 is a sectional view through the corrector with the application of filling material thereto in the region of the cavity formed as shown in Fig. 8; Figs. 10 and 11 are sections taken on the correspondingly numbered lines in Figs. '7 and 9, re-

spectively; Fig. 12 is a top plan view of the corrector; Fig, 13 is a section taken on the correspondingly numbered line in Fig. 12; Fig. 14 is a transverse section taken on the line indicated by |-l4 in Figs. 12 and 13; Fig. 15 is an enlarged sectional View of part of the corrector adjacent a localized corrected region; and Fig. 16 is a transverse section taken on the plane indicated by the line l6|6 of Fig. 15. Y

My invention contemplates the construction of a corrector that may be inserted within the shoe of the wearer and which may be light in weight, yet flexible enough to prevent the foot from becoming immobilized, but sufficiently resilient to retain its desired shape and to support the foot in the region where correctional support is desired.

To make the corrector indicated at H3 in Fig. 1, the foot is covered with a layer of wax and then an impression is made thereof in a bath of plaster of Paris that is contained within a flask l2. Fig. 2 shows the cavity l3 made in the mold after removal of the foot, and such cavity is utilized for 1 Claim. (Cl. 36-71) making a positive cast of plaster of Paris, illustrated at I5 in Fig. 3. The positive cast may then be manually shaped to give it the proper optimum outline, either by shaving oif portions as indicated by the broken lines it, or by-adding portions, as indicated by the broken lines I! in Fig. 3, in accordance with the desired outline as determined by th skill and experience of the chiropodist.

After the positive cast has been shaped to the desired form, a second negative mold of plaster of Paris 2| is made, using the positive as a form, but before the negative is made, the under surface of the positive is covered by one or more layers 28 of material, such as tin foil, preferably of uniform thickness throughout its length. After the'second negative is formed, the spacing material 26 is removed, and one or more layers of plasticized fabric 23 are placed in the cavity of the second negative as is shown in Fig. 5.

The plasticized fabric 23 may compris cotton gauze impregnated with cellulose acetate. If desired, a layer of plasticized cork may be applied in the form of paste evenly to one layer of the fabric, after which another layer of fabric is applied thereto, Additional alternate layers of cork and'fabric may be used until the desired thickness is obtained. Thereupon, the positive cast I5 is superimposed on the laminated material in the second negative 22 and sufficient manual pressure is exerted against the positive so as to make the plasticized fabric conform to the shape of the respective mold members. Thereupon the assembled unit is inserted in a heating chamber for a sufiicient length of time to cure the plasticized material. I have found that a temperature of F. for a period of about three hours is sufficient to effect the desired cure. After the curing operation, the insert 23 is removed from the mold, at which time it will have a shape substantially as is shown in Fig. '7.

In shaping the corrective insert 123, I prefer to extend the rear and side portions adjacent the heel upwardly, as at 3!], to provide an abutment that makes a snug fit with the heel of the wearer, and operates to prevent shifting of the insert with respect to the foot during use.

If the condition of a patients foot indicates the need for a corrective support, such for example as the region of the metatarsal arch, then a hump may be made in the insert by pressing it between two suitably formed dies 40 and 4|, as shown in Fig. 8, after which the cavity thus made On the underside thereof may be filled with a paste of ground cork mixed in cellulose acetate,

3 which when allowed to air-dry, will result in an insert having the appearance as shown in Fig. 9. Additionally, corrective support may be given to the longitudinal arch in a similar manner, as indicated for example at 45 in Fig. 11.

Fig. 12 shows a top plan view of a corrector made according to the foregoing method, while Figs. 13 to 16 illustrate on a larger scale the details of construction, wherein the layers of plasticized material are indicated at 50 and and wherein an interposed layer of cork is indicated at 52. In Fig. 15 there is shown a covering layer 53 which extends across the bottom of the insert and serves to hold the ground cork 54 within the cavity that is disposed in the region of the metatarsal arch. Figs. 13 and 14 also illustrate the building up of the longitudinal arch by means of interposed layers of plasticized material or cork 55, the thickness of which is determined by the corrective need of the wearer. Suitable openings 60 extend through the longitudinal arch region for the purpose of ventilation.

After completion of the insert as aforesaid, the foot engaging surface thereof may have a thin layer of wear-resistant material, such as leather 10, applied thereto, whereupon the insert is ready for insertion into the shoe of the wearer. After it has been worn for a predetermined length of time, it may be altered to suit any necessary correction, either by adding to or removing from the arch supporting region as may be indicated. Thus, if it is necessary to increase the size of the hump in the metatarsal region, it is only necessary to remove the bottom layer 53, remove the mass of ground cork. 54, increase the size of the hump by inserting it between dies of the desired size, and thereafter refilling the cavity with ground corkin paste form and recementing the layer 53 thereto.

A corrective insert made according to the pres 4 ent invention has adequate strength to support the foot of a wearer, yet has sufiicient flexibility that it will not immobilize the foot action. The materials used are impermeable to water and thereby afford a satisfactory degree of comfort to the wearer, especially under conditions of relatively high humidity. The invention is extremely light in weight and takes up such a small amount of space as not to require an oversize shoe. Moreover, the device may be transferred from one shoe to another, and may be readily altered to suit changes in the foot of the wearer, conse quent upon continued use thereof.

I claim:

A foot corrector adapted to be inserted within the shoe of a wearer and having a length extending from the back of the heel to the region of the toes of the wearer and consisting of layers of plasticized fabric and plasticized cork, the plasticized fabric being disposed on the top and bottom of the corrector, and said corrector being sufficiently thin to be resilient and deformable under arch pressure, but having suflicient strength to sustain the arch of the wearer without immobilizing the foot action.

LAWRENCE C. ZERKLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,890,910 Marshall Dec. 13, 1932 1,934,591 Churchill Nov. 7, 1933 2,313,314 Blackburn Mar. 9, 1943 2,313,870 Golden Mar. 16, 1943 2,366,323 Fried Jan. 2, 1945 1,508,110 Mayer Sept. 9, 1924 865,836 Wedekind Sept. 10, 1907 

